Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
SABON GARI, Nigeria – In the quiet farming settlement of Barwo Sabon Gari, Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State, a primary health centre that should be a lifeline has become a symbol of official neglect. The Barwo Primary Health Centre, a modest facility established in 2015, has decayed to the point of being virtually non‑functional. Its roof leaks, its walls are cracked, and it lacks the most basic equipment, water supply, and backup power. Most services have been relocated to the tiny staff quarters, a space wholly inadequate for delivering healthcare. Residents now trek to neighbouring communities even for routine check‑ups, while pregnant women and malnourished children are forced to travel dozens of kilometres for emergency care.
The shocking condition of the facility was thrust into the public spotlight on the morning of June 5, 2026, by the social accountability platform Tracka, which posted images and a direct appeal to Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Federal Ministry of Health. “The building is severely dilapidated, with leaking roofs, cracked walls, and no equipment. Services were relocated to the staff quarters which is barely sufficient for healthcare delivery. There is no access to water, no backup power supply available to support service delivery and no adequate staffing,” Tracka wrote. “The residents of Barwo cannot continue with this dead facility.”
Yet official documents obtained by this publication reveal that a budget allocation of ₦10 million was specifically set aside for the “Renovation of Barwo Sabon Gari PHC in Barwo Nasarawa Ward.” That line item appears in a 2021 government accountability report, meaning the funds were allocated more than five years ago. No evidence has emerged that the money was ever released or spent. When asked about the status of the renovation, a senior official at the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authorisation, said, “I cannot confirm whether the funds were actually disbursed or if the project was ever executed. What I can say is that the facility has not been captured in any recent revitalisation list.”
The neglect is all the more puzzling given Gombe’s own boasts. Governor Yahaya has repeatedly touted his administration’s achievements in primary healthcare. In a December 2025 spotlight published by the Gates Foundation, he claimed that his government had “built or renovated 114 primary health care centres across the state, providing coverage for every ward.” The governor also said he had cut 500 ghost workers from the health system, saving ₦2.8 billion, and that Gombe now spends 15 percent of its budget on health – up from just 3.5 percent in 2019. Just last August, the World Bank’s IMPACT project, in partnership with the Gombe State Government, handed over 103 revitalised PHCs across the state, with each upgraded to Level 2 standards, complete with solar‑powered lights, boreholes, pharmacies, and qualified manpower. The Barwa Winde PHC in Nafada LGA – a different facility, also in Barwo – was among those handed over. But Barwo Sabon Gari was conspicuously absent.
The chasm between official rhetoric and on‑the‑ground reality is not lost on Barwo’s residents. A community health worker who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal described the situation as “a tragedy in slow motion.” She explained: “We have no water. The borehole collapsed two years ago. We have no electricity, so we cannot keep vaccines cold. When a woman arrives in labour, we have to refer her to a facility in Nafada town, but many cannot afford transport. Last month, one woman delivered on a motorbike halfway to the hospital. Both mother and child survived, but it was by sheer luck.” Another resident, Malam Buba Yusuf, a 62‑year‑old farmer, recounted: “I took my grandson there when he had a high fever. The nurse said they had no malaria test kits and no paracetamol. I had to walk to the next village to buy medicine. That is not a health centre. It is an empty shell.”
The outcry over Barwo PHC echoes the findings of a report published by BudgIT in March 2026, which documented the near‑identical deterioration of the Banguji Community PHC in Shongom LGA. That facility, too, had a leaking roof, a collapsed borehole, and no functional equipment – until a combination of community advocacy and state intervention finally led to its revitalisation earlier this year. The BudgIT report noted that “the poor state of the facility discouraged residents from seeking treatment locally, further increasing health risks and delaying access to critical medical services.” Those exact words could be written about Barwo today.
Dr. Amina Abdu‑One Mohammed, the National Project Coordinator for the IMPACT project and a senior official at the NPHCDA, was unavailable for comment when contacted. The Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, did not respond to repeated phone calls. A spokesman for Governor Yahaya’s office, who asked not to be named, said the government was “committed to ensuring that no ward is left without a functional PHC,” but he could not immediately confirm when Barwo Sabon Gari would be prioritised. He urged the community to channel its concerns through the official grievance mechanisms of the state’s Contributory Health Insurance Agency.
For the people of Barwo, however, talk of “commitment” rings hollow. They have watched other PHCs in neighbouring wards receive solar panels, boreholes, and new staff quarters, while their own facility continues to crumble. With the rainy season now underway, the leaking roof will again turn the consultation room into a mud bath. Nurses will again draw water from a distant stream. Pregnant women will again gamble their lives on a motorbike journey through rutted paths. And the ₦10 million allocated more than five years ago for renovation will remain a ghost figure on a page – just one more broken promise in a country where primary healthcare remains the weakest link in the chain.
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